351 



PASSER MONTANUS. THE TREE SPARROW. 



TREE SPARROW. MOUNTAIN SPARROW. 



Fringilla montaua. Liun. Syst. Nat. I. 234. 



Fringilla montana. Lath. Tnd. Orn. I. 433. 



Tree Sparrow. Mont. Orn. Diet. 



Gros-bec Friquet. Fringilla montana. Temm. Man. d'Orn. I. 354. 



Tree Sparrow. Passer montanus. Selb. Illustr. I. 300. 



Fringilla montana. Tree Sparrow. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 135. 



Male icith the upper part of the head chestnut-red ; a hand 

 over the eye, the auricular feathers, the space before the eye, and 

 the throat black ; the sides of the 7ieck, and a collar on the nape^ 

 white ; the back chestnut mixed with black ; two white bands 

 across the wings ; the lower parts ichitish. Female with the 

 colours similar but paler. 



Male. — The Tree Sparrow bears a great resemblance to the 

 common species, but, besides being smaller, is easily dis- 

 tinguished by the characters given above. I have had no 

 opportunity of examining it in a recent state, so that the de- 

 scription must necessarily be taken from skins. Its form and 

 external parts agree with the generic character, but the tail is 

 less forked than in the common species. The bill is black, 

 the legs pale greyish-yellow. The upper part of the head and 

 the nape are chestnut, the tips of the barbs brownish-grey ; the 

 space before and under the eye, with a large patch on the cheek, 

 black, as is the throat ; the sides of the neck and an incomplete 

 band on the nape, white. The lower hind-neck, fore part of the 

 back, and the scapulars, chestnut, with black spots, the inner 

 webs of the feathers being of the latter colour ; the hind part of 

 the back yellowish-brown. The wing-coverts are chestnut, the 

 greater coverts, and the first row of smaller coverts white at 

 the end, so that there are two bands of that colour across the 

 wing, instead of one, as in the common species. The quills 



